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Monthly Archives: March 2009

I had a wonderful—and surprising—spa treat on a cold, rainy day near Sligo, Ireland: a hot Celtic seaweed bath. I’ve had what Americans call kelp baths before, and they usually consist of a tub filled with water turned greenish from powdered dried kelp.

However, a seaweed bath in Ireland is the real McCoy—complete with three- to four-foot strands of fresh-harvested kelp right off the Atlantic coast. Bathing with olive-brown chunks of underwater plants is a cross between a mermaid experience and “Creature from the Black Lagoon.” Either way you consider it, your skin and hair feel silky afterwards.

Strands of fresh seaweed from the Atlantic turn bath water a rusty color, but the effects are great for the skin.

My 50-minute treatment started with a 10-minute steam treatment to open my pores. Then I (gingerly) climbed into the tub where the seaweed (Fucus serratus) was floating. The water and tub are extremely slippery from the seaweed, so I clung to the grip rails around the tub. Thankfully, there’s a rubber “no-skid” mat on the bottom of the tub.

But ah, steeping in the rusty, tea-colored water and bobbing about with my seaweed felt divine. I massaged my tired traveler’s feet, did a few stretches, and submerged my head a few times so that my hair benefited from the treatment.

After about 20 minutes in the bath, I hoisted myself out (remember: slippery!), showered, and dried off—feeling as limp and drifty as, well, seaweed!

With St. Patrick’s Day approaching, it seems only appropriate to mention a green, holistic resort and spa on the Emerald Isle: Delphi Mountain Resort & Spa. (And by “green,” I’m thinking of the eco-friendly type, although in Ireland, the term certainly applies to the foliage too.)

I couldn’t help but envision legendary Irish heroes at Delphi Mountain Resort & Spa, a contemporary timber-and-stone lodge hidden in Connemara’s remote fjords a little more than an hour’s drive from Galway.

In fact, on a hike through the mountain terrain, our guide regaled us with the romantic tale of Diarmuid and Grainne, lovers who escaped the wrath of Grainne’s husband-to-be (legendary chieftain Fionn MacCool) by fleeing to hiding places throughout Ireland. Diarmuid, a fabled warrior, is said to be buried on Mweelrea, the mountain that towers above the resort.

Delphi’s architectural style draws from Ireland’s ancient standing stones and Celtic tree lore—reflected in its use of storm-felled oak, ash, beech and elm and (what else?) local stone.

The spa, which offers fabulous mountain vistas, is the ideal resting place for modern-day athletes just returned from kayaking, hiking, rock climbing or surfing.

Pampering body and beauty treatments are done in candlelit treatment rooms designed like early-Christian monks’ “beehive” cells. The therapists use certified-organic and herbal products, including Irish seaweed hand-harvested from Ireland’s west coast.

The health-minded gourmet cuisine—much of it local and organic—is fantastic. I happened to visit on my birthday, and I dined on an exquisite lamb dinner with chocolate gateau for dessert.

Relaxing yoga, tai chi and meditation complete this spa experience, which is nearly as epic as the tale of Diarmuid and Grainne themselves.

Legendary Environmental Policies at Delphi

Waste reduction and recycling programs

A mechanical water-treatment plant that ensures that the water leaving the resort is as clean as the water coming in.

Solar panels (for preheating water) and wood chip boilers that use wood from the resort’s sustainably managed forest. Electricity comes from Air-Tricity, a wind-farm operation in the U.K. and Ireland.

A recent addition was constructed with recycled-copper roofs, recycled-newspaper insulation in the attics, and wood came from certified managed sustainable forests.

Compact fluorescent light bulbs to save energy.

New rooms are fitted with energy-saving cards that ensure that there’s no energy wasted when units are occupied.